What is Gold Plated Jewelry? Difference Between Gold Plated, Gold Filled and Pure Gold

What is Gold Plated?

Gold plated, also known as Gold Layered, is a means of overlying the surface of a metal with a thin layer of gold. Such metal predominantly is either silver or copper. The hardness of plated gold is measured with a Knoop hardness test.

Uses

Gold plating is used in the production of various things and it is applicable to various fields such as science, electronics and in the production of ornaments.

Gold plating is used in the production of jewelry such as necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pendant, and brooches. Silver, brass, and bronze are the most used metals for gold plating when making jewelry. A good gold-plated jewelry should be 24k, 18k or 14k depending on the preference and style of the artist.

Maintenance

Here are a few useful tips to get your gold-plated jewelry in the best shape possible:

1. Plated gold jewelry should be worn after spraying perfumes to avoid the chemicals from the perfume react in with the jewelry.
2. Gold plated should also be removed before swimming in water that contains salt or chlorine and should also be removed before engaging in any activity that would cause sweating.
3. Gold plated accessories should not be rubbed against rough surfaces and should be stored properly.
4. Clean gold-plated jewelry with a cotton ball or soft cloth after usage.
5. Plated gold should be kept away from jewelry cleaners and antibacterial soap that contain chemicals that are corrosive to the gold plating.

Differences between Gold Plated, Pure Gold and Gold Filled

When purchasing gold jewelry, care must be taken because there are various types in the market. It is imperative to understand the different types of gold. There is pure gold, plated gold and gold filled.

Pure gold

A pure gold is a metal that is composed of a purely gold atom. Gold is yellowish in color and may also have a buttery color and has a high luster and is soft.

Gold Plated

A gold-plated jewelry is not pure gold but rather has a base metal either silver or copper which is overlaid by gold. The layer of gold is very small that it can be scratched off by a coarse pencil. When purchasing a gold-plated ornament, the gold-plated should be viewed as just color because its thickness is insignificant.

Gold Filled

A gold-filled jewelry is not also a pure gold rather it is the rapping of a base metal with one or two sheets of gold. Unlike gold-plated jewelry, a jewelry that is gold filled has a significant amount of gold in it.